Basilisk
|rarity = Uncommon |casting_cost = |upkeep_cost = per turn |research_cost = |num_figures = |moves = |melee = |defense = |resist = |hits = |abilities = +10% To Hit Stoning Gaze -1 }} The Basilisk is a type of Fantastic Unit featured in Master of Magic. Basilisks belong to the Realm, and may be summoned using a Summoning Spell of the same name. The Basilisk is a surprisingly powerful Melee combat unit, and poses a danger to most Normal Units and weaker Heroes, primarily thanks to its ferocious attack, high speed, and tough defense. Its Stoning Gaze can destroy its targets even before they get a chance to exchange physical blows with it. As a result, a single Basilisk can wipe out a large number of weaker enemies without suffering any damage! The Fantastic Unit Physical Description The Basilisk is a heavy-bodied reptilian creature resembling a large crocodile. It has three pairs of short, powerful legs. The entire creature is clad in green scales, and its mouth sports powerful jaws and sharp teeth. The Basilisk's eyes can often be seen to have a greenish or bluish glow, belying their terrible magical nature. Basilisks appear in ancient folklore dating back to Roman times. The Basilisk is a . Attack Properties The Basilisk is a single but very powerful Melee combat unit, capable of delivering a powerful physical Melee Attack, and surviving battles despite fierce opposition. It has a Melee Attack Strength of , and delivers about per attack, thanks to its bonus (see below). More dangerously however, the Basilisk's Stoning Gaze ability allows it to wipe out enemies with low scores even before any melee damage is exchanged. When this attack is executed, each in the opposing unit must make a Resistance roll with a penalty of - and failure means instant death. Any killed by this Special Attack dies before dealing its Melee damage, so the Basilisk can potentially destroy an entire enemy unit without receiving any damage at all. Defensive Properties Furthermore, the Basilisk is quite tough. Although it only has a Defense rating of , it packs , which allow it to suffer plenty of before being destroyed - well more than most Normal Units can dish out until they reach a very high Experience Level. The Basilisk is also fairly Resistant to Unit Curses and other combat maledictions thanks to its . However this is far from giving the creature immunity to any such ill effects. Finally, as a Gaze ability, the Basilisk is able to launch its Stoning Gaze even on a Counter Attack, meaning that many Normal Units that attempt to engage it in Melee will find themselves ravaged by the Gaze Attack before they're even able to damage the Basilisk. Other Properties For a ground-crawling bulky creature, the Basilisk is surprisingly quick, moving at . This allows it to rapidly cover the distance towards its enemy, rendering it less vulnerable to Ranged Attacks. Basic Tactics When put together, the Basilisk's statistics make it a much-feared unit despite its deceptively low Casting- and Upkeep Costs. It will usually charge straight into enemy lines, lashing out first at units with low scores to get to the weaker units in the enemy's rear. Basilisks have little fear of taking on any enemy unit that does not have a good Resistance score (or the Stoning Immunity ability). They do however need to watch out for highly resistant units - especially heavy-hitting Heroes. They should also be slightly more wary of units with or , as these units can deal damage to the Basilisk before the Stoning Gaze reduces their numbers, allowing them to surround it and chip away at its health. Enemy Basilisks Basilisks occasionally appear as neutral monsters, mostly in mid-level Encounter Zones like Arcanian . They are often accompanied by Stone Giants or Sprites. Early-game armies have little hope of taking even a single Basilisk on in combat. Later on, as units begin receiving experience (and therefore, gain increased ), the Basilisk becomes somewhat less threatening. Naturally, when fighting Basilisks, it is beneficial to bring along units with high Resistance scores or Stoning Immunity. Some Common Spells, such as or may also be very useful against it, as can Heroes with the Prayermaster ability. Alternately, the Basilisk can be pummeled repeatedly with Ranged Attacks or spells in order to avoid its Gaze, although this may not work with slow ranged units unless they have a very high potential. Ability Overview +10% To Hit * This unit has an extra to hit its target with every die of its Attack Rolls. This improves its statistical chance to inflict more with each attack it makes. Stoning Gaze -1 * Whenever this unit makes a or Counter Attack against an enemy target, it first delivers a Stoning Damage Gaze Attack. * Each in the target unit must Resist at a penalty of or be destroyed immediately. * This attack takes place before Melee Damage is dealt by either unit. However, it occurs after Breath Attacks and Thrown Attacks (if any). * This ability allows the Basilisk to initiate Melee Attacks against units. * This effect does nothing against targets possessing the Stoning Immunity ability. * The effect is delivered alongside an otherwise hidden short-range attack with an Attack Strength of . As a result, magic that reduces ranged Attack Strength may disable it completely. The Summoning Spell Usage Basilisk may only be cast overland, for the base Casting Cost of . Upon successfully casting the spell, the new Basilisk unit will appear in the Town currently containing the Wizard's Summoning Circle, with full Movement Allowance, and may move and/or attack immediately as necessary. To keep the Basilisk in play, its controller is required to pay an Upkeep Cost of per turn. This is drawn automatically from the caster's pool at the beginning of each turn while the unit exists. Failure to pay this Upkeep due to lack of will lead to the Basilisk immediately disappearing, along with any Unit Enchantments currently affecting it. However, this upkeep is for the unit, not for the spell: Summoning Spells can not be dispelled by the enemy once cast. Naturally though, if the unit is destroyed, then it is gone from the world entirely, and there is no further need to pay its Upkeep Cost. Units summoned on the overland map may also be dismissed manually from their unit statistics window the same way as any other overland unit (during their controller's turn, while not in combat). Acquisition As an Uncommon Spell of the Realm, Basilisk may become available to any Wizard who acquires at least Spellbook. With none, the spell can naturally not be learned during the campaign. This is the minimum requirement for it to be traded for, appear in Treasure, or be found in the spoils of victory when conquering the Fortress of a rival Wizard who already knows it. The base chance for Basilisk to be researchable (at some point) in the campaign is roughly 10% (with book), which gradually increases with the amount of Spellbooks possessed or found during gameplay. With or more, the spell is certain to show up sooner or later, unless acquired from another source. It has a Research Cost of , although its research is quicker for Wizards possessing the Sage Master, Conjurer, and/or Nature Mastery Retorts; or a bookshelf containing or more. Basilisk may also be selected as a starting spell by players who allocate all of of their picks into books when creating their Wizard. In this case, it will be available for casting as soon as the game begins. Known Bugs It may happen that the Basilisk loses the ability to use its Stoning Gaze, if the opponent uses the spells or . Although this is not a bug with Basilisks themselves, they may be affected by it nonetheless. It happens because Gaze Attacks are delivered as "added effects" to a Conventional Damage attack, much like Special Damage Touch Attacks. Except in this case, this attack is hidden from the player. In terms of implementation, this means that the Basilisk actually has a Ranged Attack Strength of which, if reduced to zero, will no longer allow performing the Gaze effect. Unfortunately, since this attribute is not displayed in the unit statistics window, or mentioned anywhere in the game documentation, it may seem that the Basilisk is "bugged", when in fact it is not. Regardless though, this mechanic is removed entirely in the Unofficial Patch 1.50, which allows the execution of "added effects" even when the Conventional Attack Strength is zero. Category:Units Category:Fantastic Creatures Category:Nature